Dry January has become a popular trend in recent years as people decide to take a break from drinking, but Tennessee State Senator Kenneth Yager should probably consider a full Dry 2025 after Georgia cops arrested him on charges of failing to stop at a stop sign, hit-and-run and driving under the influence on Tuesday. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, the Tennessean reports the arresting officers claimed in their notes that he urinated on himself during the stop. If that’s not a sign it’s time to stop drinking, what is?
Update Thursday December 5, 2024 2:34 p.m. EST: Tennessee’s News Channel 5 has obtained the video of Yager’s field sobriety test:
Following a call about a hit-and-run at about 5:00 p.m., Georgia State Patrol began looking for a Ford Edge with Tennessee plates. They soon found a car matching that description in the parking lot of Jekyll Market, a grocery store on Jekyll Island near St. Simons, Georgia. Emergency medical personnel were already on the scene treating Yager who had reportedly tripped and fallen. Yager told the cops he’d had “a couple glasses of wine previously in the day.”
Yager then reportedly told the officers he had talked with the driver from the earlier alleged hit-and-run but left soon after because he didn’t know the cops were on their way. After failing a field sobriety test, he agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed he had a breath alcohol content of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. He did not, however, consent to a blood test. The cops then arrested Yager and booked him at the jail, but he was allowed to post bail and released at about 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.
If Yager is indicted, the Tennessean reports that state ethics rules would require him to step down from his position as Senate Republican Caucus chairman. On the other hand, he’s a Republican politician in a Republican state, so we’ll see if the pants-pissing, hit-and-run DUI guy actually faces any actual consequences. After all, they let Music Row get away with the crime that is modern country radio.
In a statement, Yager said, “An unfortunate incident happened last night. On the advice of my attorney, I cannot discuss the particulars at this time. I am and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities to bring this incident to an appropriate conclusion.”